Curriculum

Please select a year group from the menu to view the long term planning.

Our vision

At Brightside Nursery Infant School we will provide a safe, secure, nurturing, supportive, bright and well resourced environment. All our children will be happy, well behaved, caring, investigative, and innovative in order to reach their full potential in all aspects of their development.

We will plan and deliver a personalised curriculum based on first-hand experience which recognises and builds on the experience for each child. Our curriculum will place importance on:

creativity

personal, social and emotional education to help our children value friendships, relationships and develop responsibility as future adult citizens

speaking and listening to encourage confident verbal communication

encouraging our children to think and solve problems

embedding information technology as a valuable learning tool

equality

Early Years Foundation Stage

In the EYFS (nursery and reception classes) the children quickly acquire knowledge as a result of a well planned curriculum. The Early Years Foundation Stage framework is followed. For example they learn about:

themselves within the topics ‘Ourselves’ and ‘Who am I?’

healthy eating within the topics ‘Food’ and ‘Who am I?’

the local area within the topics ‘Transport’ and ‘Singing the River’

the climate/seasons within the topic ‘Winter and Clothes’

life cycles within the topics ‘Growing’ ‘What happened to Jack’s beans’

global issues within Green Week and Community Week

celebrations within the topic ‘How do we celebrate at Brightside?’ ‘The Chinese New Year’

Emphasis is placed on speaking and listening within all aspects of the curriculum to enable the children to develop communication skills. For example, in EYFS1 staff ensure that key worker time focuses on speaking and listening and key vocabulary through stories, songs etc. In addition to this in EYFS2 Talk Partners is a feature of all lessons. Speaking and listening are also developed through discrete programmes such as:

LEAP (Language Enrichment Activity Programme)

VIP (Vocabulary Improvement Programme)

Differentiated Early Talker Activities

Key Stage 1

Key Stage 1 (year 1 and year 2) follow theNational Curriculum. The phonics scheme used is Read Write Inc. Pupils quickly acquire discrete and generic skills because the curriculum is driven by age related differentiated key skills which are the focus of planning, teaching and learning and assessment. The phonics scheme used is Read, Write Inc. The skills are taught within the contexts of different topics which enable the pupils to acquire new knowledge. Examples are: ‘Why is there a Disney Shop in Meadowhall?’, Why can’t a Meercat live in the North Pole?’, ‘What’s the Story of your Life?’, ‘Were the Victorians vile?’.

Pupils also use and apply skills at every opportunity as a result of cross curricular planning. For example pupils:

research themes using books and the internet in all subjects

use ICT to create adverts, job applications etc

write using their knowledge of different genres in different subjects: instructions in D&T; an information text about Brightside etc

create and interpret a database on favourite foods, the weather

work out the cost, profit made on jewellery, soup they have made etc.

At the end of year 2, pupils will take part in the KS1 assessments for reading, writing and maths. Please use thislink for more information.

Assessment

Pupils are assessed at the end of reception and at the end of year 2. At the end of year 2, pupils will take part in the KS1 assessments for reading, writing and maths. Please use thislink for more information.

At Brightside NI School, we use the Sheffield STAT for teacher assessment from nursery to year 2. Please click here for more information.